Fruits and Vegetables May Help Endometriosis

There are many natural cures for endometriosis but few are as simple as this: research in a well-respected reproductive medical journal has shown that the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the more you lessen your chances of having endometriosis. An Italian study (1) analyzed the diets of 504 women - all with laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and their diets were compared to 504 female controls without endometriosis.

This study found that there was a 40% reduction in the risk of having endometriosis when women ate a diet rich in green vegetables and fresh fruits and concluded that:

If you are planning to increase your fruit and vegetable intake to minimize your endometriosis risks you may want to become aware of the 'dirty dozen', which is an annually updated list of the most pesticide-laden produce. The list is compiled by the Environmental Working Group and is available at ewg.org. You can also download it an an iphone app. for convenience while shopping and the full list of pesticide levels in all fruits and vegetables is also available for fuller information.

According to the Environmental Working Group, avoiding or minimizing consumption of the dirty dozen - or eating these fruits and vegetables only if organically grown - may cut your pesticide exposure by 80 percent or more.
There is suspicion that synthetic chemicals may also be connected with endometriosis; the dirty dozen list is a way to minimize pesticides while avoiding the costs of switching to a 100% organic diet.

Non-organic meat and dairy food may also be rich in estrogenic substances and pesticides - especially non-organic milk - as a result of current farming practices. Organic meat and dairy may also be a good choice if you hope to reduce endometriosis in your body.

Certain vegetables may also to help your body to process and eliminate estrogen more effectively which could help to lessen your risk of endometriosis growth. Lightly steamed, fermented or raw cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts or other brassicas such as broccoli sprouts are thought to have potent estrogen clearing effects which may help lessen endometriosis. Cooking lessens the anti-estrogen activity of these vegetables.

Simply changing your diet may help you to stay endometriosis free for longer after having your endometriosis surgically removed. Simple, natural changes such as increasing fruits and vegetables may have far-reaching effects for improving fertility when endometriosis is your diagnosis. Be sure to ask your physician before radically changing your diet, a dietitian can help to construct a healthy we--balanced diet if you need some help.

This article is for purely informational purposes and is not intended to diagnose to treat medical conditions or to offer nutritional advice for which you should consult a physician or dietitian.

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